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Last week, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) convened the full Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) for a hearing on raising the minimum wage, “From Poverty to Opportunity: How a Fair Minimum Wage Will Help Working Families.” The hearing included testimony from Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf, but the highlight was the poignant story from a single mother who told of her struggle to support four children as a minimum wage worker.
Alicia McCrary, a Des Moines mother of four young boys, told Committee members that she has to make “hard choices” every month, and implements a “rotation system” to determine which child gets a haircut, participates in sports or gets new clothes.
“These four boys are my priority and I’m their only parent involved in their lives,” McCrary testified. “I am responsible for their emotional, spiritual, physical and mental development. It is a big job and I love them so much.”
McCrary earns $7.65 an hour and works 20-25 hours a week in the fast food industry. She lives in subsidized housing and receives food stamps. McCrary said if her pay were increased to the proposed $10.10 per hour, her government assistance would likely be reduced but, she added, “That would be OK. I will have more money overall and it would come from my own hard work and my family will be better off. … I want to work and stand on my own two feet.”
To view Alicia McCrary's testimony, click here.
National Urban League Minimum Wage Petition Highlights the Struggles of Low-Wage Workers
With the national spotlight on income inequality and the persistent un- and underemployment problem impacting people of color, the National Urban League last week launched a major petition drive to raise the minimum wage. Early testimonials of those signing the petition gives voice to the dire circumstances low-wage workers face every day as they struggle just to make ends meet under the current minimum wage.
“I am a single mom who is raising two children on $9.00 an hour.... It is important to me because it will improve my children and quality of life. For example, I would be able to put something away for rainy days, move to a safer community, get my children involved in after school activities, wipe away some hungry days and allow me to pay my bills on time.” From C. Reeves.
“I am unemployed and live in an inner city. Everything is going up except workers’ wages. People are not asking for a handout but a hand up. Instead of helping the very, very rich how about helping the ones who need it...the poor.” From A. Sparrow.
“Low paying jobs are causing our families to make heartbreaking decisions between food or medicine, transportation or utility payments, etc. They are not able to afford quality child care or programs to keep their children safe, and out of trouble after school…Our communities will remain caught up in cycles of chronic underachievement and poverty, unless we work to RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!” From Y. Calderon.
Evidence of the benefits of raising the minimum wage is mounting, as calls to raise the minimum wage are growing. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute found recently that an increase to $10.10 would raise the salary of a minimum wage worker from roughly $15,000 to roughly $21,000 and surmised that the extra income would provide a small stimulus and help to grow the economy from the bottom up. Additionally, a recently released report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that as many as 900,000 individuals would be lifted out of poverty if the minimum wage were increased from $7.25 to $10.10.
Join the movement! Sign the minimum wage petition here.
